Asbestos, lead clean up costs Education Directorate $40 million

Ten sites across nine schools recorded lead dust readings above the acceptable threshold since the beginning of this year.

The discovery of lead dust at Richardson Primary School prompted the directorate to test the heating ventilation and cooling systems in schools of a similar age.

Through these tests, lead dust was found at Caroline Chisholm junior and senior campuses, Gilmore Primary, Gowrie Primary, Fadden Primary, UCSSC Lake Ginninderra College and Wanniassa School senior campus.

At Campbell High School and Lake Tuggeranong College, an assessment for upgrades to the heating ventilation and cooling system also found elevated lead levels.

Lead dust was also found in the woodwork room at Melba Copland Secondary School after a new ventilation system and laser cutter was installed in the summer holidays. The room was closed to staff and students until week two of the school term while specialist environmental cleaners remediated the space.

A directorate spokesman said the most recent discoveries were extremely low risk because the hazardous materials weren't accessible to staff and students and remediation did not disrupt teaching.

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Meanwhile, documents released under freedom of information laws showed the directorate forked out $38.7 million in four years since the 2016-17 financial year to remove and remediate hazardous materials.

The largest costs were associated with the demolition of buildings at Narrabundah College and Campbell Primary School ($23 million) and landscape remediation at Harrison School ($5.4 million).

The documents showed the directorate's response to a growing list of problems with lead paint or asbestos since lead dust contaminated classrooms at Yarralumla Primary School last July.

In August, a contractor drilled into non-friable asbestos sheeting at Turner Primary School when an air conditioning unit was being installed in a teacher's office.

In the same month work on the chemical store at Wanniassa senior campus uncovered lead flashing and lead dust in two science labs and the science prep room.

Lead paint was discovered at Fraser Primary School in October, bringing the number of public schools which contained lead paint to 70.

During school visits in September and October, staff from infrastructure and capital works found two schools were found to need urgent lead paint remediation work and 81 "issues of concern" were noted.

Over the summer school holidays, 23 public schools received lead paint remediation by encapsulation. At Dickson College, asbestos debris was also removed from the roof.

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